“Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us”

When the unforgivable is forgiven: eschatological hope amidst hopelessness

“How can victims of the Holocaust forgive the perpetrators or tormentors?”

In seeking answers, I have encountered two contrasting and, at times, extreme positions. These range from the complete rejection of forgiveness—especially in the face of such monstrous crimes as those committed during the Shoah, as argued by Vladimir Jankélévitch—to theological concepts of universal reconciliation as proposed by Jan-Heiner Tück, Magnus Striet, and Dirk Ansorge.

More specifically, the following positions can be identified:

Vladimir Jankélévitch:

Nazi crimes are imprescriptible because they constitute crimes against humanity. He emphasises the almost ontological dimension of dehumanisation.

Jan-Heiner Tück:

For Jan-Heiner Tück, justice signifies more than mere restitution; it must include the dimension of truth concerning guilt. Justice does not strive for retribution and retaliation but also calls for reconciliation and reparation. Forgiveness does not abolish justice but rather brings it to completion

Magnus Striet:

In Magnus Striet’s mind, “eschatological reconciliation” attains the level of hope for the ultimate fulfilment of creation - understood as healing. The scandal of the Cross is not interpreted as punishment but as an expression and manifestation of Divine benevolence.

Dirk Ansorge:

He may be regarded as a representative of an “eschatological hope for reconciliation.” Freedom, victimhood, and justice must all be taken equally serious. Consequently, Ansorge does not postulate a guaranteed universal reconciliation but grounds his position in the hope that God’s merciful love will ultimately prove stronger than human resistance.

Representatives of dramatic theology

Raymund Schwager:

For him, dramatic theology means that our faith is embedded within a drama of salvation history, in which Divine action and human freedom are always interrelated.

Jozef Niewiadomski:

In the reconciliation between perpetrator and victim — which he considers absolutely necessary — Niewiadomski perceives a preliminary, historically situated anticipation of what is ultimately at stake in the Last Judgement, that is, in the realm of eternity: the indispensable interruption of the cycle of guilt, accusation, and retribution, which can only be achieved through forgiveness.

Research Questions

What does hope mean for perpetrators and victims in light of the perspectives outlined above?
What, in this context, is meant by forgiveness?
What role does human freedom of choice play?

Undoubtedly, further questions will arise in the course of this dissertation and will need to be pursued.

Research Methods

Literature review, Examination of primary and secondary sources, with particular emphasis on dramatic theology
Literature review, Examination of primary and secondary sources, with particular emphasis on dramatic theology
Literature review, Examination of primary and secondary sources, with particular emphasis on dramatic theology
Literature review, Examination of primary and secondary sources, with particular emphasis on dramatic theology

Literature:

Girard u. a., Wenn all das beginnt
Kleeberg Florian, Bleibend unversöhnt - universal erlöst? eine Relecture von römisch-katholischen Konzepten zur Frage der Allversöhnungshoffnung im Gespräch mit psychotraumatologischen Ansätzen
Palaver, René Girards mimetische Theorie
Schwager Raymund, Gesammelte Schriften. 4: Heilsdrama: Systematische und narrative Zugänge / hrsg. von Józef Niewiadomski